Stage-searchlight



C. J. TRITSCHLER.

STAGE SEARCHLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-18.1919.

Patented Feb l/VVE/{ITOR Conrad Jose k fisch'er A TTORNEYS CONRAD JOSEPH TRITSCHIJER, OF ANERLEY LONDON, ENGLAND.

STAGE-SEARCHLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 24, 1920.

Application filed October 18, 1919. Serial No. 331,692.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that T, CONRAD JOSEPH TRIT- SCHLER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Anerley, London, S. E., England, have invented a new and Improved Stage-Searchlight, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stage apparatus, and its object is to provide a new and improved stage Searchlight arranged to produce the effect of a searchlight beam thrown on a distant part, such, for instance, as the sky surface or a moving object such as a miniature representation of an aeroplane, dirigible or other air craft. Another object is to produce the eflet of a light beam searching the sky. Another obj eot is to provide an exceedingly well defined light beam in close imitation. of that emanating from a powerful searchlight such as in actual use for searching the sky for enemy air craft. With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stage provided with the improved stage searchlight;

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the stage searchlight;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the same on the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The improved stage searchlight is shown illustrated in Fig. 1 in conjunction with a stage apparatus more fully shown and described in the companion application, Serial Number 331,693, filed by me on October 18, 1919. In this companion application use is made of a screen 10 of a diaphanous material stretched across the stage 11, and on the rear face of which is mounted a miniature representation 12 of an aeroplane, dirigible or other air craft provided with means for illuminating the interior with a View to produce the effect of visibility of the craft, the latter being on fire, and for producing flames, appearing bursting out from the air craft. All is more fully shown and described in the application above referred to.

In front of the screen 10, a short distance above the floor of the stage ll, is arranged the stage searchlight 20 which forms the subject matter of this application. The searchlight 20 comprises a casing having two compartments 21 and 22, of which-the compartment 21 is provided at one end with a lamp socket 23- in which screws a lamp 24 of the electric filament type. The compartment 22 is separated from the compartment 21 by a horizontal partition 30 in which is formed a slit 31 having its side walls gradually tapering and arranged opposite the lamp 24 so that the rays of light emanating from this light 20 pass through this slit 31 and through a second outer slit 32 formed in the top wall 34of the compartment 23. This outer slit 32 has its side walls tapering but is somewhat less in diameter than the inner slit 31 to sharply define the beam of light passing through this slit 32 onto a distant object such as a sky surface or a moving object 12.

The top 34 is provided at the ends thereof with trunnions 40 arranged in alinement with the slit 32 and journaled in suitable bearings 41 arranged on the back of a support 42, preferably movable transversely on the stage floor by the use of suitable wires, the support 42 representing a miniature ship or other moving object. It will be noticed that the trunnions 40 extend approximately at an angle of 45 to the face of the screen 10 whereby the beam of light passing through the outer slit 32 is thrust in an upward direction on to the sky of the screen and against the under side of the object 12 appearing in the sky. By properly tilting the casing and moving the support 42 transversely across the stage, the beam of light emitted through the slit 32 can be readily focused onto the object to be illuminated, and by making the outer slit 32 narrower than the inner slit 31 the side edges of the beam of light are sharply defined.

It is understood that the casing is tilted so as to move the narrow portion of the outer slit 32 nearer the face of the screen 10 than the wider portion of the said slit to closely imitate a beam of light emanating from a powerful Searchlight, such as in actual use for searching the sky for enemy air craft.

Although the Searchlight is preferably mounted on a movable support it may be arranged behind a piece of scenery representing a searchlight stand or any other means on which a searchlight might be shown.

It is understood that the ray of light pro duced by the Searchlight is not the light passing from the slits to the sky surface of the screen but the ray-shaped patch illuminates on the screen. This is not a real ray passin through space but only the suggestion or one thrown on to the screen.

.Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by. Letters Patent 1. A stage Searchlight, comprising a casing provided with a lamp compartment containing a lamp and a compartment having registering outer and inner slits in opposite walls, the inner slit opening into the lamp compartment opposite the lamp.

2. A stage Searchlight, comprising a casing provided with a lamp compartment containing a lamp and a compartment having registering outer and inner slits in opposite walls, the inner slit opening into the lamp compartment opposite the lamp, the outer slit being smaller in width than the inner slit.

4. A stage Searchlight, comprising a casing provided with a lamp compartment contaming a lamp and a compartment having registering outer and inner slits'in opposite walls, the inner slit opening into the lamp compartment opposite the lamp, the slits having tapering side walls to gradually widen the slit from one end to the other end, the outer slit being smaller in width than the inner slit.

5. A stage searchlight, comprising a casing provided with a lamp compartment con taining a lamp and a compartment having ing in an inclined position and to allow 01 rocking the casing, a lamp mounted in the said casing, and means on the casing for governing the rays of light emanating from r the lamp and passing out of the casing to produce a beam of light on the sky surface of a scene directed onto a distant object.

. CONRAD JOSEPH TRITSCHLER. 

